Ferdinanda was born in Washington, DC, and grew up in Arlington, VA. She received a degree in art history and studio art at The American University in 1994, and has continued to pursue a successful professional life as a scholar, teacher, and practicing artist. After earning her Master’s degree in art history at the University of Maryland College Park in 1998, she taught high school studio art before launching her career as a freelance artist.
In 2002, Ferdinanda took her current position as Professor of Art History at Solano Community College in Fairfield, CA. Teaching at a community college offers both intriguing challenges and opportunities; Ferdinanda teaches up to five courses each semester, ranging from an introductory class in art appreciation to a course exploring identity politics in contemporary American art. While on Sabbatical in 2010, Ferdinanda completed her MFA degree in painting from the San Francisco Art Institute and finished writing an art appreciation textbook; the third edition, Approaches to Art: A New Introduction to Art History, is available in 2021.
A second-generation Armenian-American, Ferdinanda has explored in her research the role of place in artistic expression. Her Master’s thesis detailed the link between Armenian religious rituals and church architecture. In her travel to sites in France, Italy, and Germany, she has researched the symbolism of doorway and floor decoration in Romanesque buildings. In her artwork, she uses industrial sites to explore issues of place and displacement on a more personal level.
In 2002, Ferdinanda took her current position as Professor of Art History at Solano Community College in Fairfield, CA. Teaching at a community college offers both intriguing challenges and opportunities; Ferdinanda teaches up to five courses each semester, ranging from an introductory class in art appreciation to a course exploring identity politics in contemporary American art. While on Sabbatical in 2010, Ferdinanda completed her MFA degree in painting from the San Francisco Art Institute and finished writing an art appreciation textbook; the third edition, Approaches to Art: A New Introduction to Art History, is available in 2021.
A second-generation Armenian-American, Ferdinanda has explored in her research the role of place in artistic expression. Her Master’s thesis detailed the link between Armenian religious rituals and church architecture. In her travel to sites in France, Italy, and Germany, she has researched the symbolism of doorway and floor decoration in Romanesque buildings. In her artwork, she uses industrial sites to explore issues of place and displacement on a more personal level.
